Inaugurated in 2012 on the site of a former mining basin, the Louvre-Lens aims to be a "different kind of Louvre": a genuine cultural space rooted in its region, a place for dialogue between artistic disciplines, eras and civilisations, and a platform for exchanges and meetings.
28 000 m2
The various buildings that make up the museum have a total surface area of 28,000 m2 ! Yet there is nothing imposing about the whole. Inspired both by Japanese culture, where architecture is in constant communion with the outside world, and by the horizontal spirit of the mining landscape, the building, designed by two prestigious Japanese architects, stretches out in two wings to fit in better with nature...
6 600
The museum's park has nearly 6,600 trees and 26,000 shrubs, spread over the 20 hectares of the former mine site, which was once a wasteland. You can extend your visit by strolling along the paths between meadows, lawns, water features and a birch forest. Some species have grown spontaneously, such as fruit trees from the seeds and pits discarded by the miners.
205
205 masterpieces from the Louvre are on permanent display in the Galerie du Temps, an incredible 120-metre-long space whose walls are covered with an aluminium skin that creates reflections and perspectives. From Antiquity to the Middle Ages to modern times, the tour, which is renewed each year, revisits 5,000 years of art history through the cross-fertilisation of civilisations.
1 700 m2
Spread over 1,700 m2, the Temporary Exhibitions Gallery offers a gigantic setting for the two major exhibitions organised each year with the help of prestigious international public or private collections. On the programme from March 2018: "The Empire of Roses - Masterpieces of 19th Century Persian Art", with a scenography by Christian Lacroix.
95
95 works have already been restored since 2012, in the dedicated workshop that can be viewed from a mezzanine. Behind the scenes of the museum are also revealed to the public: the storerooms, the workshop where the works are prepared and the circulation corridors... Thanks to the glass windows and interactive devices, visitors can learn about the works' journey. And they should keep an eye on the calendar: several times a year they can even enter the restoration workshop.
807 m2
The total area of glass windows surrounding the Glass Pavilion is 807 m2. This space hosts the collections of museums or collectors from the Hauts-de-France region in order to deepen the links between the Louvre-Lens and its territory. With various themes such as "Italian Hours" presenting Italian paintings preserved in the region or an exhibition in 2016 on the theme of football in conjunction with the Racing Club de Lens.
271
The museum's stage has 271 seats. From theatre, dance and cinema to balls, recitals and private receptions, this fully modular room regularly hosts events based on a dialogue between works of art and the living arts. Concerts, conferences and meetings are part of the Muse & Piano festival organised each year in the autumn.
By Anne-Claire Delorme
Globetrotting journalist anneclairedelorme@yahoo.fr
